Laidley Pioneer Village and Museum
Laidley Pioneer Village council chamber and chapel
Established1972
Location Australia, 92 Drayton Street, Laidley, Lockyer Valley Area, Queensland 4341
Coordinates27°39′00″S 152°23′29″E / 27.6499°S 152.3915°E / -27.6499; 152.3915
Typehistoric open-air museum
OwnerLaidley District Historical Society Incorporated
Employeesvolunteers
Public transit accessMondays - Sundays
9am - 3pm
Ph: (07) 5465 2516
Websitehttps://www.laidleypioneervillage.org.au/
Laidley Pioneer Village entry April 2022
Laidley Pioneer Village blacksmith demonstration April 2022

The Laidley Pioneer Village and Museum is an historic open-air museum located in the town of Laidley, Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia, on the corner of Drayton Street and Pioneer Street. It portraits rural life in Queensland from the early 19th century.[1]

History

The Laidley region was once the home of the "Kitabul People" before the arrival of Europeans in the early 19th century. Today, the Ugarapul People are the traditional owners of the Lockyer Valley region.[2][3]

The Laidley Pioneer Village was the first museum of the heritage village type in Queensland when it was established in 1972.[4] It is located on the site of a former resting paddock used for the horses of the Cobb & Co coaching business along the original transport route from Ipswich to Toowoomba.[5][6]

The museum is run by volunteers and members of the non-profit organisation Laidley District Historical Society Incorporated.[5]

Display

The village displays the lifestyle of the early pioneers in the area and the history of the timber and farming industries from the early 19th century.[6] Displays include restored buildings, such as a tractor shed and the old shire office, post office and general store, the old police cells from the Laidley Police Complex, an old butcher shop and a fully furnished 110 year old year school (the former Blantyre State School).[1][7] The buildings contain common items of use of the era, including household items, telephone exchanges, police handcuffs, butcher's and blacksmith's tools, furniture, vehicles and machinery. Buildings and items were collected from a wider area in South East Queensland.[5]

The old Laidley Council Chamber building is now the entry to the museum. It was originally the administration office for local Government at the turn of the 20th century.[8]

The Pioneer Memorial Chapel can still be used for Weddings and other functions. The chapel was once the Blenheim Methodist Chapel, then the Berryman Baptist Church after being moved to Mount Berryman in 1942. It was moved to the Pioneer Village in 2009 when it was 124 years old.[9] The church was restored and pews were received from the Mt. Sylvia Catholic Church and other furniture from St George's Anglican Church at Thornton.[8][10] On display in the chapel are old religious books and a bible written in German.[11]

A cottage that was the home of the DesJardins family, pioneers who lived in Gehrkevale (now Mount Mort), was built in a way common at the time using ironbark for slab walls and a shingle roof. The outside walls were lined for warmth with hessian and then newspapers and journals glued on with flour and water paste. For preservation purposes, the roof has been covered with tin, but the shingles are still visible from inside.[8]

The agricultural collection displays vintage machinery and equipment, including a Linn Tractor (ca. 1928).[12][8][11]

The wagon display exhibits examples of German horse-drawn farm carts and wagons, as well as items of rural farming and industrial machinery.[8]

The carriage display shows examples of the early buggy and sulky era and tools used in their manufacture and maintenance.[12][8]

Other buildings and exhibitions include a pre-Medicare hospital, a dairy and bails, early 1900s fashion and accessories, war memorabilia, children's toys, photography equipment and portraits, and stationary engines and pumps.[11]

On Wednesdays, special occasions or upon request, visitors can see blacksmith demonstrations.[12][11]

The museum takes part in annual festivities, such as the Lockyer Valley Heritage Festival in autumn,[13][14] the Laidley Spring Festival in September and Australia Day celebrations.[12][15]

It also has a school education program which invites school groups to participate in guided tours and creating project books.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Laidley Pioneer Village and Museum". Southern Queensland Country. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  2. ↑ "Gotta love the Lockyer". LGAQ. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Annual Report 2017–2018" (PDF). Lockyer Valley Regional Council. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Laidley Pioneer Village & Museum". Luvya Lockyer. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Laidley Pioneer Village and Museum". Laidley Pioneer Village. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  6. 1 2 Brochure "Lockyer Valley Visitor's Guide", Lockyer Valley Regional Council. Retrieved April 2022.
  7. ↑ "Laidley Historical School House". Laidley Pioneer Village. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Laidley Pioneer Village and Museum". Laidley Pioneer Village (archived). Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Pioneer Memorial Chapel". Churches Australia. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Historic chapel given new home at Laidley". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Brochure "Laidley Pioneer Village", Lockyer Valley Regional Council. Retrieved April 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Das Neumann HausLaidley pioneer village & Museum". Laidley Spring Festival. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "Come along to the 2022 Lockyer Valley Heritage Festival". Lockyer Valley. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Lockyer and Somerset Independent". No. 13, Vol. 3. Valetta Media Pty Ltd. 6 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "Laidley Pioneer Village Museum Australia Day celebrations 2018". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
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